Blogger turns paper clip into house

Post by **Martrae** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:18 am

Jul 13, 8:04 AM (ET)

TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian man was handed the keys to a three-bedroom house Wednesday, exactly a year after he offered a red paper clip online, asking to trade it for "bigger or better" things.

In his latest trade, Kyle MacDonald, 26, swapped a bit role in a Hollywood movie for a house in the small Western Canadian town of Kipling, Saskatchewan.

When he started his quest with the paper clip, MacDonald said getting a house was his goal.

He traded in the paper clip for a fish pen and eventually moved up to an afternoon with rocker Alice Cooper before snagging the Hollywood movie role in his 14th trade.

Wednesday, the mayor of Kipling presented MacDonald with the house in return for a role in the movie "Donna on Demand," starring Corbin Bernsen.

Kipling, population 1,140, will give the role to the winner of a contest it plans to hold in September. "We're getting some very positive attention, and that never hurts any community," Mayor Pat Jackson said in a telephone interview.

Local businesses have donated housewarming gifts such as flowers and wine, and a 12-foot red paper clip has been erected in the front yard. The town plans to build "the world's largest red paper clip" at a yet-to-be-determined location.

MacDonald, who lives in Montreal, has become an Internet and media sensation during his series of swaps, garnering interviews and attention from as far away as Japan.

He said on his Web site that he and his girlfriend will move into his new house before September and plan to throw "Saskatchewan's biggest housewarming party ever."

The bastard actually did it.

Post by **Mop** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:26 am

Haha I was reading about this the other night, great stuff.

Ginzburgh · Post by **Ginzburgh** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:36 am

Yeah, that's pretty awesome.

Tikker · Post by **Tikker** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:50 am

I actually drove past the house yesterday

it's not much

it's kind of a rinky dink little house on mainstreet in the thriving metropolis of Kipling (pop under 1000)

Post by **Martrae** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:53 am

Still better than a paper clip.

kaharthemad · Post by **kaharthemad** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:55 am

true tik...but a small house is better then a fucking paperclip

Post by **Gidan** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:00 am

I would gladly trade the papreclip for a small house.

Dylan · Post by **Dylan** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:19 pm

I'm glad he actually did it.

I started to do something like this last year when I heard about him and I started with a plastic spoon and eventually got a coke. :dunno:

Tikker · Post by **Tikker** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 1:24 pm

kaharthemad wrote:true tik...but a small house is better then a fucking paperclip

you've never been to kipling have you?

he's moving from montreal, 2nd or 3rd largest city in canada, out to small town saskatchewan (if you've seen the show Corner Gas, that's a lot like the town he's moving to, much less hilarity tho)